Games studio in Cirencester partners with University of Gloucestershire

Published:
Saturday, 22 April 2017
Category: All Graduate Jobs News

Neon Play mobile, the industry leading studio based in Cirencester that produces mobile games, has launched a partnership with the University of Gloucestershire (UoG) to add real-world expertise to games design and development courses.

The Neon Play team meet regularly with members of the university’s School of Computing and Technology as part of the programme, and offer the benefit of their experience running a successful business in a highly competitive market.

The team advises students on course content, give presentations and provides mentoring. Visits to the studio in Cirencester are also part of the deal.

UoG games courses

The chief executive of Neon Play, Oli Christie, said he was delighted that the partnership allowed him and his team to support UoG’s games courses and explained that he felt it was incredibly important that the next generation of games makers were encouraged and nurtured.

In fact, the company’s first-ever employee graduated from the university with a BA Hons degree in Design for Interactive Media, and recently two more UoG graduates have also been employed.

New dimension

Head of the business and computing school, Professor Kamal Bechkoum, praised Neon Play for being extremely active and enthusiastic in helping the university in their aim to make the computing and games course attractive to students.

Bechkoum said that the company's involvement had added a new dimension to the courses by giving students first-hand practical experience of the industry sector.

As part of the initiative, students have been set a challenge to build a prototype game. The results could be released under the Neon Play publishing division if they reach the required visual and gameplay standards.

Opportunity

Being offered the chance to have one of their own games released is a rare opportunity for students and one that gives UoG’s courses a distinct edge.

Jamie Stewart, academic course leader for computer games programming, gave credit to Neon Play for their support and involvement, particularly for the way in which they welcome students into their real life working studio environment.

This gives them the chance to see how games are created and brought to market and provides students with an invaluable insight into how the industry operates on a commercial level.